Five Outstanding Recent Releases

While 2025 started a little slow on the book front, it has picked up significantly, and so many wonderful books have published recently. This week, I am highlighting five titles that have released in the last month that are not to be missed:

The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff (fiction) – Texan Sarah Damoff’s debut spans six decades and is structured in three parts, each told from a different point of view: Lillian, who has experienced numerous losses and simply desires a stable and quiet life with her husband Ryan and daughter Georgette; Georgette, who endures the many ups and downs of her parents’ relationship, and finally Ryan, an artist and gallery owner who grapples with his father’s addiction and his own alcoholism. The Bright Years starts slowly but picks up steam as the story progresses. This tale of inherited generational trauma, poor choices, and the enduring connection of family pulls at the heartstrings while eliciting so many feelings – anger, sorrow, frustration, and ultimately empathy. Damoff’s portrayal of alcoholism and its lasting effects on family members is honest and at times hard to read. Have tissues ready – the book is a tearjerker. It will be a great fit for fans of family dramas and compelling stories. Read a Q&A with author Sarah Damoff here. 

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (fiction) – Most mornings, 73-year-old Sybil Van Antwerp sits down to write letters – to her brother, to her best friend Rosalie, to Joan Didion and Ann Patchett to give them her thoughts on their latest books, and to one mysterious person to whom she writes regularly but never sends her missives. When letters from her past force her to do some self-reflection, Sybil realizes that she must reconsider some long-held beliefs. Sybil’s wry wit and clever sense of humor are present throughout, and the letters she writes and receives are a joy to read. The Correspondent explores the importance of literature, making connections, expanding worldviews through experiences, as well as the ups and downs of a long life. Both heartwarming and heartbreaking, this will be one of my top reads of 2025; I loved the reflections on love, loss, parenting, family, and most importantly the passage of time. This book will appeal to fans of thought-provoking books and memorable characters as well as those who love epistolary novels and those who are drawn to the power of the written word.

Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin (mystery) – Widowed mother and grandmother Kausar Khan becomes an amateur sleuth when her daughter is accused of murdering the landlord of her clothing boutique. For the first time in 20 years, Kausar returns to the Toronto neighborhood of Golden Crescent where she raised her family and sets out to solve the landlord’s murder. Kausar comes to terms with how much the area has changed while working to piece together who wanted the landlord dead and uncovering the secrets her daughter is harboring. Jalaluddin weaves in a good amount of detail about Muslim culture and traditions while crafting a clever whoddunnit. She also touches on mental health, the power of secrets, repairing familial relationships, and the joy of community. This is the start of a new series, and I look forward to book two. Detective Aunty will appeal to fans of light-hearted mysteries steeped in culture and family.

The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner (fiction) – The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits follows two sisters, Cassie and Zoe, whose 2003 meteoric rise to musical fame occurs when they are just out of high school. Overweight and socially awkward, Cassie is a child prodigy, a gifted singer, songwriter, and pianist, who wants to embrace her love of music but not in the spotlight. Friendly and outgoing, Zoe is decently talented as a singer and on the guitar, but desperately wants to become a star. When fate intervenes, the two sisters are thrust into sudden stardom as the Griffin Sisters. But not even a year later, the duo mysteriously splits, and the two women fade back into their everyday lives. Two decades later, Zoe’s daughter is desperately trying to understand what happened and why. This family saga explores the high cost of fame, what happens when secrets are kept, and the deep bonds of both sisterhood and motherhood. Weiner addresses the music industry’s obsession with appearance, and in particular, its focus on insisting women must be thin. While this behavior is abhorrent, it is the way the industry operates, and I appreciate Weiner’s inclusion of this story line and its impact on Cassie. This book will appeal to those who enjoy books about music and familial relationships. 

Heartwood by Amity Gaige (fiction/mystery) – Heartwood follows a search and rescue team racing against time when an experienced hiker disappears on the Appalachian Trail in Maine. The story is told through the perspectives of the rescue team, an armchair detective, interviews with other hikers, and letters the missing hiker wrote to her mother while on the trail. While the book is character driven, it is incredibly compelling, and the mystery inspires larger questions about the many ways in which we get lost and how we can be found. The cast of characters are delightful, and Gaige’s depictions of Maine and the Appalachian Trail are so vivid that they transport the reader to these locales. This book is a good fit for readers who enjoy a strong sense of place as well as for fans of beautiful writing and stories about nature and the outdoors.

I would love to hear what you have read and loved!

For more book recommendations and bookish thoughts, see Cindy’s monthly Buzz Reads column, her award-winning Thoughts from a Page Podcast or follow @ThoughtsFromaPage on Instagram.